Blair’s Advance for Memoir Said to Be About $9 Million
Tony Blair, the former prime minister of Britain, has agreed to sell his memoir for an advance of around $9 million, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations.
After a four-day auction, the book was bought by two divisions of Random House: Alfred A. Knopf in the United States and Canada, and Hutchinson in Britain. Sonny Mehta, chairman and editor in chief of Knopf, said that Mr. Blair intended to write a “serious and frank book” about his life and, in particular, his decade at 10 Downing Street.
Mr. Blair, 54, won three consecutive elections for the Labor Party, starting with a landslide victory in 1997. He ended his 10-year tenure in June, having seen his popularity plummet because of his support of President Bush and the war in Iraq.
He also had a close relationship with former President Bill Clinton and played a role, dramatized in the film “The Queen,” in persuading Queen Elizabeth II to return to London and address the nation after the death of Diana, princess of Wales.
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After a four-day auction, the book was bought by two divisions of Random House: Alfred A. Knopf in the United States and Canada, and Hutchinson in Britain. Sonny Mehta, chairman and editor in chief of Knopf, said that Mr. Blair intended to write a “serious and frank book” about his life and, in particular, his decade at 10 Downing Street.
Mr. Blair, 54, won three consecutive elections for the Labor Party, starting with a landslide victory in 1997. He ended his 10-year tenure in June, having seen his popularity plummet because of his support of President Bush and the war in Iraq.
He also had a close relationship with former President Bill Clinton and played a role, dramatized in the film “The Queen,” in persuading Queen Elizabeth II to return to London and address the nation after the death of Diana, princess of Wales.